John Elway changes role as Broncos look to hire new GM

John Elway won’t be gone, but the Denver Broncos will have a new general manager for thew 2021 NFL season. 

John Elway will forever be remembered as the greatest quarterback in Denver Broncos history. Now, he’ll continue his build up on the executive side of things.

The Broncos announced Monday that Elway would move up in his role with the team in a new role. The means he’ll leave behind his former position of the team’s general manager.

The new GM and Broncos’ head coach Vic Fangio will report to Elway, who still will serve as the team’s president of football operations.

“The GM will have final say on the draft, free agency and our roster,” Elway said in a statement. “This person will be empowered to make all football decisions, working in partnership with Vic.

“I will be there to support our GM and Vic, providing my perspective, helping with the big decisions and being a sounding board whenever needed,”

Mixed results from Elway certainly give Broncos fans hope

The Broncos fanbase will admit that while Elway is a hero in the Mile High City, his job as GM has come with mixed results. The best move made was to bring in Peyton Manning, who took the franchise to a pair of Super Bowls, winning it in Feb. 2016.

Since then, Denver has been looking for the next quarterback with little success. Currently, the verdict is still out on second-year gunslinger Drew Lock, who regressed under Pat Shurmur’s play-calling following a 4-1 finish in 2019.

Denver made the postseason in each of Elway’s first five seasons as general manager. Following their Super Bowl 50 victory, they haven’t made the playoffs and only posted one season above .500.

https://twitter.com/AdamSchefter/status/1346191227507634177

Elway’s promotion now marks the seventh executive job available this offseason. With full control and final say of the draft selections, the Broncos might be a fun place to land. And with decisions on everyday moves across the facility, perhaps this is the move that puts the Broncos back on pace.

Denver will have a chance to fix the issues cause over the past few seasons. More than that, they save themselves from an uncomfortable conversation with the biggest name in the history of the franchise.